Dwight ALLAN Kirk

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Dwight Allan Kirk (0-65912), First Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Kirk distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Sane-Dong, Korea, on 29 May 1953. On that date, Lieutenant Kirk was participating in an attack on hostile positions through a draw behind a vital hill. Observing a platoon of the company caught it a heavy barrage of artillery and mortar fire, Lieutenant Kirk moved across the open terrain under the heavy concentration of fire and succeeded in leading the men from the hazardous position. After making a reconnaissance of the hill, Lieutenant Kirk led a platoon against the numerically- superior enemy force, but found it necessary to withdraw due to a spirited mass counterattack. Shortly afterwards, Lieutenant Kirk again led a force against the hostile positions but again was forced to withdraw. Placing the men in a holding position, Lieutenant Kirk immediately organized a fresh platoon and led another assault which, through his skill and inspirational leadership, inflicted approximately five hundred casualties on the enemy. In the course of this third assault, Lieutenant Kirk moved across a minefield to aid a Korean soldier who had been seriously wounded and in so doing detonated a mine which took his life.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 661 (July 17, 1953)